2008 Colondars feature young colorectal cancer survivors

The 2008 Colondar is ready! The Colondar models — all diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer under the age of 50 — bare their surgical scars for the camera and tell their stories to raise awareness that colorectal cancer can be diagnosed in young adults.

Colondars are a project of the Colon Club, an organization of young colorectal cancer survivors and their supporters whose main goal is to educate as many people as possible, as early as possible, about colorectal cancer in interesting and out-of-the-box ways.

The 2008 Colondar is another artistic calendar, once again featuring twelve beautiful colorectal cancer survivors, all diagnosed under the “stereotypical” age of 50. The Colon Club’s 4th edition of the Colondar shows the strength and spirit of these survivors while helping to raise awareness and funds in the fight against their disease, the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and one that no one wants to talk about. Each model became involved in the Colondar in hopes that sharing their photo and story would inspire and educate, showing that colorectal cancer is a disease that can affect anyone at any age.

Ray Beckler is Mr. November. He was diagnosed at age 47 after being told for several years that his pain and bleeding could not possibly be colon cancer because he was “too young.” He’s now a five year survivor who uses humor and his personal experience to help others diagnosed with colorectal cancer as part of the ACOR Colon Discussion List.